Captive tiger farms in Asia house thousands of tigers for commercial purposes including tourism, traditional medicine, and luxury products. Welfare conditions are often extremely poor.
Tigers in commercial farms experience severe welfare deprivation. Solitary large predators with enormous home ranges in nature are confined to barren concrete cells. Sedation for tourist contact causes distress and health problems. Cubs removed from mothers for petting operations experience maternal separation stress. The conservation argument that farms reduce poaching pressure has been rejected by evidence showing farms fuel rather than reduce illegal trade.